This invention relates to a paint box with replaceable color pans, including cooperating holding elements provided on the bottom of the paint box and on the side of the color pans, which holding elements serve to removably retain the color pans in the paint box in an aligned position, and further including a holding rail at the bottom of the paint box, which rail engages in a downwardly open groove formed on the underside of a protruding rim of the color pans, said rail forming a swivel bearing with a swivel axis parallel to the bottom of the box.
In a paint box of the type referred to which is known from German Utility Model DE-GM 70 06 998, the holding rail has at its upper edge a thickened bead engaging with a snap action in an undercut groove on the underside of the protruding rim of the color pans when the color pans are inserted in the paint box and pressed against the holding rail. In the longitudinal direction of the holding rail the position of the color pans is determined by spacer knobs provided on the holding rail. To disengage the color pans from the holding rail the pan rim projecting beyond the holding rail may be pressed down with the finger of a user""s hand. This causes the corresponding color pan to be swung upward by rotating about the bead of the holding rail until the pan rim on the side remote from the holding rail can be gripped from underneath, enabling the pan to be detached from the holding rail using an upward pulling motion. The disadvantage of this known paint box design is that the color pans are not fixedly securable in the paint box since they are allowed to execute a limited swiveling motion about the fastening bead of the holding rail. This may result in rattling noise during transport of the paint box. Furthermore, the clamping of the color pans to the bead of the holding rail depends to a large extent on manufacturing tolerances, with the result that given an adverse tolerance situation either the forces for pressing on and detaching the color pans may be too high or the resistance against accidental detachment may be too low.
From German Utility Model DE-GM 71 25 446 a paint box is known having color pans which include a protruding rim of a rectangular outer contour and are held on a holding rail with spacer knobs.
It is an object of the present invention to improve the fastening of the color pans of a paint box of the type referred to in terms of handling and reduce the dependence on manufacturing tolerances.
According to the present invention this object is accomplished in that the groove on the underside of the protruding rim of the color pans has a cross section widening in downward direction, that on the side of the holding rail close to the color pans provision is made for holding elements extending up from the box bottom and enabling the individual color pans to be securely fixed by frictional engagement with the box bottom, that provision is made for a respective push-button on the protruding rim of the color pans on the side of the holding rail remote from the color pans, and that by pressing down the push-button of a color pan this particular color pan is adapted to be swiveled about the swivel axis and disengageable from the holding elements.
In the paint box of the present invention the elements for holding the color pans in the paint box by frictional engagement are spatially separated from the swivel bearing on the holding rail. This enables the holding elements provided for holding to be designed substantially more favorably, as by providing them with a greater spring deflection, whereby the dependence on manufacturing-related dimensional tolerances may be reduced significantly. Excessively high or low holding forces are therefore easily avoidable. The provision of push-buttons on the color pans simplifies the removal of the color pans, because the color pans are already disengaged from the holding elements by operating the push-buttons and are then readily removable from the paint box without the need to overcome a resistance. The operations of disengaging and removing the color pans may be performed with a single hand because, following disengagement of the color pan and letting go of the push-button, the color pan remains in a raised position, enabling it to be gripped with the same hand. In addition, by suitably designing the push-button it is possible to limit the swiveling angle of the color pans during their removal to such an extent that dissolved pigment is prevented from flowing out of the pans. The paint box of the invention has the added advantage that the color pans are held in engagement with the box bottom by the holding elements also when the box is turned upside down, and therefore do not rattle during transport of the paint box, regardless of the position. Finally, it is also possible to load the paint box of the invention with color pans of known construction by retaining the holding rail and appropriate positioning of the holding elements, this however at the expense of the advantages achievable with the configuration of the invention.
According to a further proposal of the invention the push-button extends across the full width of the color pan and is inclined at an angle of in particular 60xc2x0 relative to the plane of the box bottom. As a result, the push-buttons of the adjacent color pans form a smooth, closed surface area bounding the adjoining box space serving as a brush tray, for example, in an esthetically pleasing manner. Adjoining the lower end of the push-buttons may be a rib provided on the box bottom, which rib closes a space formed between the push-buttons and the box bottom. To limit the swiveling angle of the push-buttons provision may be furthermore made for a stop rib on the box bottom which projects into the range of movement of the push-buttons.
The protruding rim of the color pans may furthermore have a rectangular outer contour with edges parallel to the side walls of the paint box, so that the adjacent color pans form with their upper side a closed surface area having adjacent recesses to receive the color tablets.
According to the invention, for each color pan there may be provided as holding elements one pair of thin-walled elastically deformable ribs which are spaced from each other in an arrangement contiguous to the holding rail and essentially perpendicular to the holding rail and the box bottom and have on their sides remote from or close to each other at their upper edge a projection on which a color pan is securable. According to the invention the color pans have on their protruding rim downwardly extending lugs which are adjacent to the ribs and aligned parallel to said ribs and carry on their sides remote from or close to each other a projection bearing against the projection of the ribs with the color pans in the holding position.